Vacuum cleaner



May 1 1, 1948.

H. J. MfsALLls'rl-:R

VACUUM CLEANER Filed Jan. 15, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 May vl1, `1948. H. J. McALLls'rr-:R

vAUUM CLEANER Filed Jan. 15, 1945 2. Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented May 11, 1948Y UNITED PATENT FFICE 2,441,365 v f l vAcUUM oLEANna Harley J McAllister, Wheaton, Ill. Applicationaanuary 15, 1945,;servia1N0. 572,933

' 1 Claim. (Cl. ISS-#37) My invention relates to vacuum cleaners and more particularly to the provision .of a vacuum cleaner unit embodying a dust'pan, a filter, afan and a motor wherein the maintenance of the device is simplified and made more easy for the housewife.

It is the principal purpose of this invention to provide a vacuumv cleaner .wherein the dust pan is separated from the rest of the equipment and serves as a support therefor, and a seal being established between the dust pan and the suction unit by a rubber ring which serves also as a bumper. l

It is a further purpose of my invention to provide a vacuum cleaner wherein a filter unit is separably set upon the dust pan and the suction unit is separably supported over the lter unit for ready removal to give access to the filter and the ldust pan, all of the parts'being held assembled in Y operation by a simple clamping device.

It is a further purpose of my invention to provide an improved iilter and bumper unit for vacuum cleaners. n f

The nature and objects of my invention will appear more fully from the following description and the accompanying drawings wherein a preferred formof the invention is shown. It should be understood however that the drawings and description are illustrative only and should not be taken as limiting the invention except insofar as it is limited by the claim.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a vertical section through a suction cleaner embodying my invention;

Figure 2 is a sectional View taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1, parts being broken away to illustrate the detailed construction; and

Figure 3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken .on the line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Referring now to the drawings, my invention is embodied by a suction cleaner which comprises a pan shaped dust pan 5, a lter unit 6, a suction fan 1, a drive motor 8 and an enclosure 9 for the fan and motor. A handle i is mounted on the enclosure 9 and carries a switch II by which the motor 8 is controlled.

The dust pan has an inlet at I2 to which a suction tube having a suitable dust collecting nozzle may be attached. This dust pan has its top edge rolled over as shown to provide a support for a resilient ring I 4 which is a part of the filter unit Ii. This ring I4 may be constructed of rubber, either natural or synthetic, or a similar material capable of making an air tight seal with the edge of the dust pan. The ring I4 has a lower channel l5 in which the turned over rim I3 nts. The

ring also has an upper channel I6 which receives a spun-over edge Il of the cover 9. The ring I4 has arounded outer surface I8 which is grooved as indicated at I9 to receive a clamping and reinforcing wire band 20. The ban-d 20 preferably is a wire spring and its function is to strengthen-the ring I4. The spring 20 is fitted into the groove I9 to such an extent that it cannot contact furniture or 'walls that may be engaged by the outer roundedv surface I8 ofthe Vring I4. 'This outer surfaceserves as abumper to prevent damage to furniture and similar articles.

The ring I4 Aserves tofsupport the filter uniti in such fashion that the filter unit can be handled separately either from the dust pan or the suction unit so'that'in taking the device apart for removing the 'accumulatedv dust and dirt, thev lter unit is entirely accessible for Vseparate handling and cleaning. Likewise the dust pan is separable and replaceable, in fac-t, the dust pan maybe used as a water receptacle when the suction device is used for scrubbing rugs and the like, andthe 'filter would not be damaged with the water except` insofar as fmoisture might be carried over in the stream of air. The filter unit includes a flat metal ring 2| which is inserted into the resilient ring I4, the ring having a slot 22 in its inner edge for this purpose. The ring 2I is larger in its outer diameter than the dust pan or the cover so that it actually extends into the hollow space 22a of the ring I4 between the parts'l3 and I1. The ring 2| has an upturned flange 23 on which a lter cloth 24 is clamped by a split band 25. The filter cloth 24 has a supporting ring 26 thereon at a short distance above the clamped edge. The ring 26 is slightly larger than the band 25 and falls down over the band when the suction unit is not in operation. At its central portion the lter cloth 24 has a lifting strip 2-8 fastened thereon so that the strip can be used to carry the lter unit or to shake th-e unit.

The fan unit 'I is of a standard construction, comprising a shell 29 with a partition 30 therein. The shell has its top opened as indicated at 3| around its periphery and is adapted to support the motor 8. A ring 32 is provided on the motor,

. and this ring is Acut out as indicated at 33 to allow tively coarse wire screen or of an equivalent con# 3 struction which will serve to support the lter cloth 24 against the suction of the fan 1. The screen is carried on posts 38 of which there are four secured to the bottom of the shell 29.

The cover 9 is composed of two sections so arranged as to be readily separable to provide access to the motor and fan. A lower section 39 of the cover has an inturned upper edge 49 which provides a shelf upon which a ring 4l rests. The ring 4I is of rubber or other suitable cushioning material. It serves to support a flanged ring 42 that is welded on the shell 29. Rubber grommets 43 are pressed through suitable openings provided in the horizontally extending parts 40 and 42 to connect the shell 29 of the lower portionr39 of the cover 9. Screw bolts 44 are used to compress the clamps and make a vibration free mounting, The upper portionof the cover 9 comprises a dome shape sheet metal shell 45 which has an air outlet opening 49 adapted to receive a flexible hose or other conduit. The shell 45 is connected to the lower part 39 by bolts 41 and 48. 'I'h'e bolt 48 also serves to clamp the handle I9 against the lower part 39 of the cover. This handle has a rib 49 resting on the shell 45 and another screw bolt 59 extends through the handle of the shell 45 to secure the handle in place.

In order to clamp the parts to the dust pan 5, this pan is provided with' ears 5| and 52 at diametrically opposite points thereon. Each ear pivotally supports a clamping lever 53 by means` :that the nature and advantages of my invention ywill be apparent to those skilled in this art. The main advantages of this construction hereinbefore described lie in the arrangement of the parts so that they can be readily separated and Y 4 cleaned without scattering the collected dust. When the housewife desires to remove the collected dust, she can release the clips 55, spread a piece of paper on the iloor and set the cover unit 9, which carries all of the operating mechanism, on the piece of paper, leaving the dirt collecting parts of th'e cleaner free for removal and emptying, The lter is readily separable from the dust pan since it merely rests on the dust pan once the clips are removed. This makes it easy to clean the' filter and it leaves the dust pan entirely unobstructed for cleaning.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

In combination a dust pan, a suction unit comprising a fan and a motor therefor, a cover carrying said suction unit entirely rabove the dust pan, the bottom edge of the cover and the tcp edge of the dust pan being substantially of the samershape and size, a lter cloth interposed between the dust pan and the suction unit, a ring carrying said filter cloth' and having grooves receiving said edges and a screen at the bottom of the suction unit but above the ring cooperating with said ring to hold the filter cloth in extended position said cloth being provided with a spreading means overlying the first named ring, whereby to cause the cloth to spread out under the screen when suction is applied by the suction unit.

HARLEY J. MCALLISTER.

' REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,921,085 Korittke Aug. 8, 1933 2,155,669 Lofgren Apr. 25, 1939 2,242,277 Yonkers May 20, 1941 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 265,965V Great Britain Aug. 4, 1927 608,607 Germany Jan. 28, 1935 

